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Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) in how many cases of absent parents in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom as a whole the Benefits Agency made deductions from income support at the behest of the Child Support Agency in the period April 1993 to March 1994;
(2) how many absent parents assessed by the Child Support Agency between April 1993 and March 1994 in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom were in receipt of income support;
(3) how many assessments made by the Child Support Agency in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom as a whole in the period April 1993 to March 1994 resulted in
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the absent parents being assessed as being unable to pay more than the minimum contribution of £2.30.Mr. Burt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ann Chant to Dr. Norman A. Godman, dated 7 February 1995:
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the number of absent parents assessed by the Child Support Agency during 1993/94 who were in receipt of Income Support (IS) and the number of absent parents who were assessed as only being able to pay the minimum contribution of £2.30.
Information is only available for Great Britain as the Agency does not collect separate statistics for Scotland and has no responsibility for the UK as a whole.
From launch to March 1994, a total of 40,450 absent parents (AP) receiving IS were assessed for child maintenance.
Information is not available for the total number of APs who were assessed, during 1993/94, as being unable to pay more than the minimum contribution of £2.30, or on the total number of APs who had deductions made from IS.
I hope that this is of help.
Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many parents with care in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom have relinquished income support and are now dependent on maintenance payments;
(2) what is his estimate of the number of parents with care in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the United Kingdom who relinquished income support in the period April 1993 to March 1994 and who are now in receipt of family credit and maintenance.
Mr. Burt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ann Chant to Dr. Norman A. Godman, dated 7 February 1995:
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the number of parents with care who no longer qualify for Income Support and now receive Family Credit as a result of receiving maintenance assessed by the Child Support Agency.
Since launch, 12,000 parents with care (PWC) ceased to receive Income Support (IS) because child maintenance payments, assessed by the CSA, led to their income exceeding their entitlement to IS. It should be noted that child maintenance may not have been the only income received by the PWC in these cases. Other income such as part time earnings, Child Benefit and One Parent Benefit, which the PWC would continue to receive in addition to any child maintenance payments, may have contributed to the gross amount of weekly income exceeding entitlement IS.
No information is presently available on how many PWCs are presently receiving Family Credit and child maintenance following an assessment by the Agency.
I hope that this is of help.
Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in how many cases in which the mother with care was unable to name the father involved women living in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom as a whole.
Mr. Burt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.
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Letter from Ann Chant to Dr. Norman A. Godman, dated 7 February 1995:I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about parents with care who were unable to name the absent parent.
My letter to you in reply to PQ 789 sets out the position for the period April 1993 to March 1994.
Since April 1994, these cases are no longer considered under the requirement to cooperate provisions. This is because it is clear that a parent with care who cannot name the absent parent is not refusing to co- operate, but in fact is unable to co-operate. The information you request is therefore no longer collected.
Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many maintenance application forms issued in the period April 1993 to March 1994 were sent to parents with care in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom as a whole; and of these how many were given to parents with care who (i) were not in receipt of any social security benefits, (ii) parents with care in receipt of family credit, (iii) in receipt of disability working allowance and (iv) in receipt of income support;
(2) how many maintenance application forms issued in the period April 1993 to March 1994 in Scotland were sent to parents with care who were (a) new applicants for income support or (b) repeat applicants for income support.
Mr. Burt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ann Chant to Dr. Norman A. Godman, dated 7 February 1995:
I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of state for Social Security about the number of maintenance application forms issued by the Child Support Agency during 1993/94.
Information is only available for Great Britain as the Agency does not collect separate statistics for Scotland and has no responsibility for the UK as a whole.
The agency issued 858,000 maintenance assessment forms (MAF) between April 1993 and March 1994. 29,650 of the forms issued were sent to parents with care (PWC) who were not receiving benefit; 223, 800 MAFS were sent to PWCs receiving Family Credit (FC) and Disability Working Allowance (DWA). It is not possible to separately identify recipients of FC and DWA from within this group.
A further 534,000 MAFs were sent to recipients of Income Support (IS). Information on how many of those forms were sent following new or repeat applications for IS is not available.
I hope that this is of help.
Habitual Residence Test
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by social security district office (a) the number of people who have been refused benefits for failing the habitual residence test since its introduction and (b) how many have successfully appealed.
Mr. Roger Evans: The administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Alan Milburn, dated 6 February 1995:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for statistical information in connection with the habitual residence test for each Benefits Agency district office.
Information about the number of people refused Income Support after failing the habitual residence test has been collated for the
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period 1 August 1994 to 31 December 1994 and is provided at Annex A. The table shows the twenty one Benefits Agency Area Directorates that make up Great Britain and lists the districts that make up each area. A copy has been placed in the Library.Housing and Council Tax Benefits information is not yet available and is collected by the Department of Social Security from Local Authorities annually.
Data regarding the number of successful appeals, in cases where Income Support has been disallowed as a result of the test's application, is not collected in the format requested; this could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Unemployment Benefit
Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total amount of unemployment benefit claimed in the Merseyside area during the past 12 months.
Mr. Roger Evans: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Crime (Policy)
Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the implications of the British crime survey results for Government policy on crime.
Mr. Maclean: The British crime survey is one measure of the extent of crime, the results of which are disseminated widely throughout the criminal justice system. Its findings have informed thinking about crime prevention in several ways, most broadly in identifying the highest risk areas and groups, and the offences which pose the greatest numerical problem. It also yields information which is helpful in monitoring some of the services of the criminal justice system, including public satisfaction with the police, police complaints procedures and victim support schemes.
The Government's policy on crime remains that no amount of crime is acceptable. The protection of the public, the punishment of offenders, the support of victims and the prevention of crime will remain our priorities.
Miscarriages of Justice
Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of alleged miscarriages of justices are currently being dealt with by officials in C3 division; when each case was received by
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his Department; and what is the number of personnel assigned to this work.Mr. Nicholas Baker: At the beginning of 1995, 188 representations of wrongful conviction were under consideration in C3 division. Information about the date of receipt of each of these cases is not readily available in this form, but 106 of those cases had been outstanding for more than six months. Nineteen staff are engaged in work relating to allegations of wrongful conviction.
Prison System and Police Forces (Expenditure)
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the annual expenditure on (a) the English prison system and (b) the English police forces for each year since 1979 in 1994 prices.
Mr. Howard: Table A shows expenditure on the English prison system since 1979 80. Details of expenditure attributable to English police forces, shown at table B, are readily available only for the years1984 85. For the years 1979 80 to 1983 84 inclusive, the table shows figures for English and Welsh police forces combined. All figures are at 1994 prices.
Annual expenditure on the English Prison System since 1979
at 1994 prices
Financial year |Expenditure at 1994
|prices
|£ million
------------------------------------------------------------
1979-1980 |944.3
1980-1981 |876.7
1981-1982 |867.4
1982-1983 |898.1
1983-1984 |959.1
1984-1985 |985.3
1985-1986 |979.1
1986-1987 |977.4
1987-1988 |1,054.6
1988-1989 |1,303.9
1989-1990 |1,451.2
1990-1991 |1,598.8
1991-1992 |1,627.6
1992-1993 |1,564.8
1993-1994 |1,558.5
Note:
1. The figures are taken from the published appropriation
accounts adjusted for the costs of the three prisons in
Wales. Historic cash expenditure figures for individual
prisons are not easily available and we have used the total
costs of the Welsh prisons as shown in the Prison Service's
annual report (copies are available in the House of Commons
Library). The expenditure on the English prisons may
therefore be very slightly understated.
Expenditure on the English police system
|Police expenditure
|at 1994
Financial Year |prices (£ million)
---------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |<1>3,542.8
1980-81 |<1>3,552.4
1981-82 |<1>3,931.5
1982-83 |<1>4,067.5
1983-84 |<1>4,216.4
1984-85 |4,391.4
1985-86 |4,096.9
1986-87 |4,274.5
1987-88 |4,475.8
1988-89 |4,672.9
1989-90 |4,976.7
1990-91 |5,109.1
1991-92 |5,365.1
1992-93 |5,599.6
1993-94 |5,741.7
<1> Combined expenditure figures for England and Wales
forces.
Passports
Mr. Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many United Kingdom passports have been (a) issued and (b) revoked since 1979.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: Figures for passport services are kept for financial years April to March. The numbers of each of the years since 1978 79 are:
Year |Numbers ------------------------------ 1978-79 |1,614,382 1979-80 |1,995,401 1980-81 |2,168,344 1981-82 |1,748,241 1982-83 |2,014,687 1983-84 |1,966,019 1984-85 |1,800,440 1985-86 |2,193,489 1986-87 |2,588,426 1987-88 |2,485,312 1988-89 |2,841,888 1989-90 |3,194,418 1990-91 |3,116,939 1991-92 |3,227,522 1992-93 |3,368,060 1993-94 |3,699,526
Withdrawal of a passport would be considered:
a. if it came to the Passport Agency's attention on replacement that it had been issued incorrectly; and
b. on the same basis as the refusal of an application. That is in the case of:
(i) a minor whose journey was known to be contrary to a court order, to the wishes of a parent or other person or authority to whom a court had awarded custody, care and control or to the provisions of section 25(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, as amended by the Children Act, 1989, or section 56 of the Adoption Act 1976; (ii) a person for whose arrest a warrant had been issued in the United Kingdom or who was wanted by the police on suspicion of a serious crime;
(iii) in very rare cases, a person whose past or proposed activities were so demonstrably undesirable that the grant or continued enjoyment of passport facilities would be contrary to the public interest;
(iv) a person repatriated at public expense until the debt has been repaid.
No records are kept of the numbers, but it is very rare for a passport to be withdrawn.
Pardons
Mr. Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) absolute and (b) conditional pardons have been granted to persons convicted of criminal offences since 1979.
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Mr. Nicholas Baker: Since 1979, 1,253 free and three conditional pardons have been granted under the exercise of the royal prerogative of mercy.
Sponsor Interviews
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will establish a central record of requests made by overseas entry clearance officers and others for sponsors in the United Kingdom to be interviewed by immigration officers; and if he will arrange for all requests for interviews to be acknowledged and sponsors or their representative to be notified and for action to be taken if such interviews are not held within a reasonable period; (2) what representations he has received about delays in interviewing sponsors in the United Kingdom in relation to entry clearance applications; if he will arrange for a procedure to record and monitor progress in sponsor interviews at all overseas posts on the Indian sub-continent; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: The information requested on representations about sponsor interviews is not available. Such interviews are received, recorded and despatched by immigration service headquarters. Monitoring the progress and action is a matter for local managers who are aware of the objective to complete them within three months where practicable.
I understand from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs that overseas posts already record and monitor requests for interview and generate reminders as necessary and that applicants are informed at the time of their interview that their application is deferred pending an interview with their sponsor. A further acknowledgement is not necessary.
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average delay at (a) Leeds-Bradford airport and (b) other ports once a sponsor has been interviewed in reports being sent to his Department; and what is the average delay between the receipt of such reports and their dispatch to British overseas posts with particular reference to Islamabad.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: Reports are normally sent from the interviewing office direct to the overseas post. A record is not kept of the average time taken to prepare and dispatch such reports. Local managers are responsible for ensuring that they are completed and despatched promptly. In the case of Leeds-Bradford airport, a sample study of such cases indicates that it took between four and seven days and that the time taken in cases originating from Islamabad took about four days.
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he is having with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) officials to expedite sponsor interviews and reports of such interviews being received by overseas ports.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: I have asked officials to continue with measures which will help to achieve the objective of three months for the completion of such interviews.
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 1 February, Official Report , column 681 , who determines if capacity for conducting interviews exists at another port; who informs Leeds-Bradford of such capacity; in the last year,
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to date, how many sponsors waiting to be interviewed at Leeds-Bradford have been invited for interview at another port; and if he will list the ports where those interviews have been conducted.Mr. Nicholas Baker: The capacity for conducting interviews at any port is identified by local managers in consultation with immigration service headquarters.
Invitations have been sent to 20 sponsors to attend interview at other ports and offices in the north-east. Hull, North Shields, Stockton and south Humberside will be used for this purpose.
Prevention of Terrorism Powers
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-United Kingdom nationals in each year to date, have been (a) detained, (b) charged, (c) prosecuted and (d) released without charge under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard: The information requested is not available. The statistics, which are collected centrally, and which are published in statistical bulletins issued by my Department and by the Northern Ireland Office, do not categorise by nationality those detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Police Vehicle Maintenance
Mr. Thomason: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are his plans for introducing competition into the provision of police motor vehicle maintenance and repair and the cleaning of police buildings.
Mr. Howard: The initial proposals for the extension of compulsory competitive tendering to police motor vehicle maintenance and repair, and the cleaning of police buildings, sought to recognise the operational and security requirements of the police service. In the case of the former, the proposed 40 per cent. competition requirement was intended to allow a core of sensitive vehicles to be serviced within secure in-house facilities. The 90 per cent. level initially proposed for cleaning provided an option to retain in-house staff to clean sensitive areas, or remote and small stations for which CCT might not be cost-effective.
Detailed consultation proposals for both services were issued by the Home Office on 11 April 1994. The Government have now considered the responses received from the police service, local authority associations and other interested parties.
For the cleaning of police buildings, the consultation exercise sought specific comment on the need for a competition-free element. Many responded that a larger competition-free element was necessary to safeguard the cleaning of sensitive areas, and small and remote stations. The Government are satisfied that a sound case has been made, and intend, therefore, that the competition level should now be set at 80 per cent. We are confident this will achieve a rigorous competitive regime, bring improvements in service and value for money, while providing the police service with the flexibility it requires.
For police motor vehicle maintenance and repair, the initial proposals were specifically designed to cater for concerns about security and operational effectiveness. The
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results of the consultation exercise have been looked at against the other initiatives being developed within police fleet management, such as centrally negotiated purchasing arrangements. The Government are now satisfied that the introduction of CCT to police motor vehicle maintenance and repair would not, in this case, add greatly to the gains being made in other areas. We have, therefore, decided that the existing exemption should be retained.The introduction of CCT to the police service is, of course, more than just achieving better value for money. It is also about providing a strong impetus for organisational change and service review. The Government remain committed to the value of these processes within public services, and hope to announce in the near future our initial plans for introducing CCT to police while collar support services.
Emergency Calls
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures his Department is taking to reduce the number of non-urgent and hoax 999 telephone calls.
Mr. Maclean: The Home Office sponsors a 999 liaison committee, which brings together the public telephony operators, the emergency services and Oftel and provides a forum in which problems can be addressed. A number of initiatives are being carried out to reduce the incidence of non-urgent and hoax 999 calls; these include sending warning letters to customers and school visits by emergency service personnel. A report will be submitted to the 999 liaison committee in March 1995, documenting progress and making recommendations for the development of a national strategy.
Crime Prevention
Sir Ivan Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Government's crime prevention policy.
Mr. Maclean: The Government's crime prevention policy is based on partnership and is being developed on a broad front. The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 and the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994 respectively strengthen the powers of the courts to deal with offenders and lay the foundations for a new more effective partnership between the Government, the police and the public to fight crime. The recently launched "Partners Against Crime" initiative puts a new emphasis on the individual citizen as a partner with the police, whether as a member of neighbourhood watch or street watch or as a neighbourhood or special constable.
At national level, the ministerial group for crime prevention co-ordinates activity across Government Departments and the National Board for Crime Prevention continues to disseminate best practice. At local level, the Government continue to support crime prevention projects and partnerships through, for example, the expansion of our successful safer cities programme, the single regeneration budget, and the work of Crime Concern, the independent crime prevention organisation.
The Government also attach particular importance to the use of new technology in the fight against crime. We are pushing forward with a number of major new initiatives on crime reduction through technology, including the promotion and funding of closed circuit
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television in public places, and co- operation with vehicle manufacturers on car security.Metropolitan Police
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civilian staff of the Metropolitan police have been made subject to early retirement against their wishes in the last two years; and what pension entitlement is available in such cases where retirement occurs at age 60 years.
Mr. Maclean: I understand from the Commissioner that the normal contractual age of retirement for Metropolitan police civil staff is 60 years, at which age the pension paid is the full entitlement based on reckonable service and pensionable pay. Those leaving the service under the provisions of early retirement schemes do so by agreement.
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the population of the Metropolitan police area, (b) the number of police officers and (c) the number of officers per head of the population in Greater London in (i) 1979, (ii) 1985 and (iii) the last year for which figures are available.
Mr. Maclean [holding answer 6 February 1995]: Information on population figures for police areas, the number of police officers per force and the number of police officers per head of population can be found in the annual reports of Her Majesty's chief inspector of constabulary, copies of which are in the Library.
Colombian Nationals
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's estimate of the number of Colombian nationals resident in this country; and how many of those are thought to be here illegally.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: The 1991 census of population indicated that there were 5,682 persons resident in Great Britain on census night who were born in Colombia. There is no estimate available of the number of those who are Colombian nationals nor those who might be here illegally.
Wiltshire Police Authority
Mr. Faber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much initial financing grant is to be made available to the new Wiltshire police authority to help its parallel running with the existing police authority; and what guidelines are issued by his Department for its use.
Mr. Maclean: New police authorities have each received an initial financing grant of £97,560 under section 32 of the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994. This grant enables the new authorities to function during 1994 95 in preparing to assume their full statutory function of securing the maintenance of an efficient and effective police force for their areas on 1 April 1995, when the current police authorities will cease to exist. Guidance on the use of this grant was provided in a Home Office letter of 8 July 1994 to chief constables and clerks of police authorities. New police authorities will be expected to submit to the Home Office an account of the expenditure in respect of which initial financing grant was
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